Piano-action.



L. N. SUPER.

PIANO ASTION.

APPLIGATION FILED JUNBS, 1912.

LEWIS NELSON SOPER, OF GUELPH, ONTARIO, CANADA.

PIAN O-ACTION.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Man-1.8, 1913.

Application filed .Tune 3, 1912. Serial No. 701,274.

To all whom, t may concern:

Be it known that I, LEWIS NELSON SoPER, a subject of the King of GreatBritain, residing at Guelph, in the Province of Ontario and Dominion ofCanada, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inPiano-Actions, of which the following is a specification, referencebeing had therein to the accompanying drawing.

This invention relates to improvements in upright piano actions whereby,ascompared with other types of actions heretofore in use., the touch ismuch lighter, more positive, more rapid and more desirable for theplayer piano, because of the convenience with which itcan be installedin the player action. It also has less friction and requires less workfor the action finisher, regulator and repaircr, and besides the cost ofproduction is considerably reduced.

In carrying'out the invention, the usual bridle wire and tape betweenthe wippen and hammer butt is dispensed with and a combined spring andlink on the wippen, and flexible loop on the hammer butt, substituted insuch a manner that the advantages above referred to are attained.

F or a more specific understanding of the `embodiment of the inventionand its method of operation, reference is to be had to the accompanyingdrawing, in which- Figure l is a sectional view through an upright pianoaction with the improvements applied, and the parts being shown in norlmal or inactive position. Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the parts inthe position they occupy immediately after the hammer has struck andwhile pressure is still exerted on the key. Fig. 3 is a perspective Viewof the link and loop connecting means between the wippen and hammerbutt. Fig. 4 is a front View of Fig. 3 with the countercheck shank insection. Fig. 5 isa perspective view of another form of the invention.

Similar reference characters are employed to designatecorrespondingparts throughout the views.

Referring to the drawing, 1 designates the wippen which is operativelyuconnected with a key in the usual manner, and attached to the wippen isthe usual jack iange 2, to which is pivoted the jack 3, the toe 4 of thejack being pressed upwardly from the wippen byI the spring 5 interposedbe'- tween these two parts. Above the toe 4 is the usual stop orabutment 6 with which the toe is adapted to engage for effecting theproper release of thefI upper -end 7 of the jack from the hammer butt 8.The hammer butt has the usual countercheck shank 11 and countercheck 12,with which coperates the check 13 on the wippen. "Between the upper endof the jack 3 and the countercheck shank is the repeating spring 14 thatrestores the jack in proper relation to the hammer butt when the key isreleased.

The particular improvements in the present invention consist of alink-spring 15, which is made of resilientwire with one end 16, Fig. 3,bent laterally and anchored in an opening 17 in the wippen 1, while theopposite end is formed into a hook 18 to detachably engage a flexibleloop 19 attached to the hammer butt. This loop consists of a piece oftwine which has its ends set into recesses 20 in the upper surface ofthe hammer butt, the recesses being located respectively at oppositesides of the shank 21 of the hammer. The ends of the loop are anchoredin the recesses or grooves 20 by glue or the like. The loop is of suchlength as to terminate one-sixteenth of an inch, more or less, inwardlyfrom the front face 22 of the hammer butt, and the hammer butt isrecessed at 23 immediately below the loop and the upper surface of thisrecess has a facing of cloth or felt 24 with which the hook 18 isadapted to engage. By reference to Figs. 3 and 4, it will be observedthat the spring or link 15 bears immediately above its anchored end at25 on the jack flange 2, and at this point 25, the member 15 isfulerumed. The member 15 is bent inwardly over the toe 4 of the jack tothe center thereof, as shown in Fig. 4, and thence extends parallel withand in front of the jack to a l point adjacent the countercheck wherethe member bends laterally to clear the countercheck shank. The hook 18extends rearwardly above the countercheck shank to a point centrallyabove the hammer butt. On the jack is a felt abutment 26 which engagesthe medial laterally inset portion of the member 15, so that the latteracts as a buffer for the jack. If it were not for this buffer functionperformed by the member 15, the latter could be made straight.

throughout its length from the anchored terminal 16 to the hook 18.

With the arrangement shown, the link spring 15 has a light pull on thebutt of the hammer, the pull decreasing es the hammer nears the string.As the jack is tripped at relief. the outward pull on the hammer isquickly increased. Then, as the stroke is finished and key released thepull is eased, and the repeating spring incidentally causes there-setting of the jack, and as the wippen drops, the hook engages thetop of the butt and pulls it down, as is done by the usual bridle wireand tape in prior constructions.

By means of the improvements herein referred to, there results aconsiderable saving of felt, about forty-five per cent. of countercheckwood, about twenty per cent.

of butt timber, and also the saving of thel seat for the usual hammerspring.

Another manner of anchoring the linkspring is shown in Fig. 5, where itsjack flange 2a has an opening 17 extending horizontally -therethroughfrom front to rear and the anchor bend 16b1 of the linkspring 15a passesthrough the opening 17a and has its extremity turned laterally at 1Gb sothat the link-sprin cannot pull out. The upper end of the lin r-spring15a is shaped as shown in the other figures and hooks into the loop onthe hammer butt, and this loop holds the link-spring central withrespect to the jack and the hammer butt. This construction shown in Fig.5 is easier to make and gives excellent results.

Hereinafter the term carrier is adopt-- ed to refer to that part onwhich the'linkspring is mounted. In Figs. l to 4, elusive, it means thewippen 1, while in Fig. 5, it applies to the jack flange 2a.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings, the advantages of the construction and of themethod of operation will be readily apparent to thoseskilled in the artto which the invention appertains, and while I have desribed theprinciple of operation of the invention, together with the apparatuswhich I now consider to be the best embodiment thereof, I desire to haveit understood that the apparatus shown is merely illustrative, and thatsuch changes may be made when desired as are within the scope of theclaims appended hereto.

Having thus described t-he invention, what I claim as new, is

1. An upright piano action comprising a 'ack carrier a lack a hammerbutt a ham-- mer, a repeating spring. between the hammer butt and jack,and resilient means connected with the hammer butt'and jack carrier foreffecting the return stroke of the hammer and tensioned to exertnormally a light outward pull on the hammer.

9.. An upright piano action comprising a jack carrier, a jack, a hammerbutt, a hammer, a repeating'spring between the ham* mer butt and jac andresilient means connected with the ha er 'butt and jack carrier foreffecting the return stroke of the hammer and tensioned to exertnormally a light outward pull on the hammer, said means bcing sodisposed with respect to the jack as to form a buffer for the jack asthe latter escapes from the hammer butt. i

An upright piano action comprising a jack carrier, a jack, a hammerbutt, a hammer, la link-spring anchored on the carrier, and means forconnecting the spring with the hammer butt.

4. An upright piano action comprising a jack carrier, a jack, a hammerbutt, a hammer, a link-spring anchored on the carrier, and a flexibleloop anchored on the hammer butt and engaged with the link-spring.

5. An upright piano action comprising a jack carrier, a jack thereon, ahammer butt, a hammer, a resilient member anchored at its lower end onthe carrier and terminating at its upper end in a hook disposed normallyabove the butt and adapted to engage the latter'to effect the returnstroke of the hammer, and ay connection between the hook and the hammerbutt.

6. An upright piano action comprising a jack carrier, aA `jack thereon,a hammer butt, a hammer', a resilient member anchored at its lower endon the carrier and terminating at its upper end in a hook disposednormally above the butt and adapted to engage the latter to effect thereturn stroke of the hammer, and a connection between the hook and thehammer butt. the intermediate portion of the said member being disposedto engage the jack and form a bufi'er therefor when the latter escapesfrom the hammer butt.

7. An upright piano action comprising a wippen, a jack flange, a jack onthe flange. a hammer butt, a hammer, a resilient wire rising from thejack flange, and a flexible connection between the upper end of thc wireand the hammer butt.

8. An upright piano action comprising a wippen, a jack fiange, a jack onthe flange,

a hammer butt, a hammer, a resilient wire anchored in the jack flange,and a fiexible loop anchored on the hammer butt and engaged with theupper end of the said wire.

9. An upright piano action comprising a carrier, a jack mounted thereon,a hammer butt, a hammer, a repeating spring between the jack and hammerbutt, a flexible loop connected on the upper end of the hammer butt. anda link-spring connected with the carrier and having its upper end formedto connect `with the loop, said upper end being normally spaced from thehammer butt and adapted to engage therewith for effectingthe return ofthe hammer and the intermediate portion of the link-spring being bentinwardly into the plane of the jack 1ro be engaged by and form a buii'erfor theatter.

10. An upright piano action comprising a hammer c butt, a" hammer shanksecured thereto, said butt having grooves in its top surface at. oposite sides of the hammer sha-nk, and a oo -forming element having itsends anchore in the grooves and the loop portion extendingforwardly'from the hammer shank.

11. The combination of a hammer but-t, a carrier, a connection betweenthe hammer buttand carrier including a link-spring secured to and`supported by the carrier, a. jack on the carrier and disposed behindthe link-spring, and means carried by and dis- In testimony whereof iaiix my signature $0 in presence o-two Witnesses.

' LEWrs NELSON SOPER.

Witnesses:

J. E. STEELE, S. S. DAY'.

